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UDL Editions

Description and UDL Checkpoints: UDL Editions is an online leveled literacy tool that meets many of the UDL Checkpoints. It really stamps UDL Checkpoint 3.1- Activate or supply background knowledge. When students explore a book, they can click on vocabulary words to get definitions, click on phrases to learn some background information, and pictures provide alt text and background information.

Example: These books are great resources for literacy building, and can be used by teachers to build background knowledge at the start of a unit, and to support scholars who struggle to maintain interest with reading as these texts are so interactive.

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UDL Editions take advantage of the flexibility of digital media to reach and engage all learners. Leveled supports and the Texthelp Toolbar balance challenge and support for each learner, ages 10 and up. Select your book to get started!

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Popplet

Description: Popplet is an online mind mapping tool that allows students and adults to map out ideas and make connections.

UDL Checkpoints: Popplet provides support for UDL Checkpoint 3.2- Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships. Students can color code ideas, Emphasize key points by changing the size of boxes, and connect ideas.

Example: an ELA teacher can use Popplet to help kids connect themes with supporting details, or create a character map to keep track of important relationships and character motivations, providing a visual tool to reference how ideas connect, and to hep kids build off ideas as they learn more.

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Canva

Description: Canva is an online tool that allows students to create graphic projects. This is beneficial for writing as it allows kids to create a comic strip and other graphic organizers to organize and present their thoughts. It is free and user friendly.

UDL Guidelines and Checkpoints: This addresses the Guidelines of Representation and Action/Expression. More specifically, this resource address UDL Checkpoint 1.1- Offer ways to customize the display of information as it allows users to display information in may ways and attach images. It Also addresses Checkpoint 5.2-Use multiple tools for construction and composition by allowing Students to create storyboards to organize their writing.

Example: Canva could be used to help kids organize major events and plot points of a story, and allow them to create a visual to go along with the events, breaking down sequencing barriers. Canva is also a great resource for students to plan creative writing: it will support executive functioning by allowing kids to arrange in several ways plot points of their story, and for them to explore on their own which organization of events best suits the story.

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iSolveit

Description: iSolveit is an online puzzle tool that supports mathematic reasoning, particularly for Algebra. It is not aligned to any curriculum, rather it supports mathematic reasoning needed on many levels.

UDL Checkpoints: This tool was designed with UDL Guidelines. However, what stands out to me is how iSolveit promotes UDL Checkpoint 6.2 -  support planning and strategy development. Kids have options to solve puzzles, and many have multiple strategies for multiple solutions. Kids can explore a puzzle at their pace, and compare which approaches are more efficient, more direct, etc.

Example: A teacher could use iSolveit as part of a lesson that focuses on Exploration, or as a tool to help kids navigate problem solving aspects of math. iSolveit is a fun way for kids to approach problem solving, and they can maintain a journal of the strategies they used, and what worked, what didn't work. They can apply these strategies later on in class.

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Developing logical thinking and reasoning skills for all learners proves essential for mastering algebra and mathematics in general. Yet, students of all backgrounds face significant barriers. Teaching algebraic reasoning skills in a non math-specific context provides an effective way to help students overcome barriers to learning.

In the case of iSolveIt, CAST designed a mobile digital learning environment where learners accessed a collection of tablet-based puzzles strategically designed using the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). We utilized puzzles because they offer greater flexibility in terms of entry points and pathways, as well as key supports and scaffolds that can be integrated into the learning experience. These apps included well-known puzzle types - KenKen and Balance puzzles - but included numerous supports not present in most implementations of these puzzles, such as scratch areas to test out possible solutions, pop-up hints to explain the puzzle notation, and an interface that can be read aloud with VoiceOver.

The National Council of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards and the Common Core Practice Standards note the importance of reasoning in all aspects of mathematics. Algebra particularly requires the ability to recognize patterns and relationships to solve problems.

CAST developed iSolveIt in 2013 with support from the Oak Foundation, the Intel Foundation, Eastern Bank, and the Cabot Family Charitable Trust. Programming, including product development and creative design was led by FNX Studios, a software consulting firm in Bellevue, WA. The Boston Arts Academy, the Edison K-8 School (Boston, MA), Tyngsborough Middle School (MA), and the Fayerweather Street School in Cambridge, MA, all piloted the puzzles in their curricula.

Because iSolveIt puzzles were non curriculum-specific or math-dependent, they could be used at different grade levels as part of a year-long curriculum. The puzzles focused on aspects of reasoning important in algebra, such as finding patterns or functions, creating models, working with variables, and making predictions. By teaching algebraic reasoning skills in a context that does not appear to be math-specific, the puzzles addressed affective barriers to learning (e.g., math anxiety).

iSolveIt incorporated UDL principles by giving learners multiple ways to solve the puzzles. Many puzzles featured more than one solution, allowing for greater flexibility in thinking while trying out different strategies. Additionally, providing different types of puzzles offers practice across multiple representations, which proves critical for developing the ability to generalize. Students could work through puzzles individually at their own pace or in groups and demonstrate key learnings via multiple methods of action and expression.

The apps are no longer available for download due to incompatibility with current iOS versions.

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Teaching algebraic reasoning skills in a non math-specific context helps students overcome barriers to learning.

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Zearn

Description: Zearn is an online platform for k-5 math, aligned with CCSS and Engage NY curriculum. Zearn allows kids to engage with math through drills, videos, games, and more. Zearn aims to make learning fun.

UDL Guidelines and Checkpoints: Zearn addresses all three Guidelines, but it is especially Strong in the Guideline of Engagement. The Checkpoints that popped out to me in this resource were Checkpoint 8.2- Vary Demands and resources to optimize challenge and Checkpoint 8.4- Increase mastery oriented feedback. Learn allows students to use bar charts, tally marks, base 10 blocks, and more to solve problems. When students get questions wrong, they get targeted feedback that helps them address and close gaps that caused the misconception.

Example:  Zearn can be used to promote learning a individual practice centers, and can allow a teacher to provide targeted support to kids based on the feedback from the program. It can also be used to fill in gaps that students in the general education setting may have, IEP or not.

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Ed Genuity

Description: Edgenuity is an online learning platform for students K-12, and offers a variety of online courses to help kids learn and reinforce learning individually.

UDL Checkpoints: Edgenuity is incredible strong in UDL Checkpoint 1.3- Offer Alternatives for Visual Information and UDL Checkpoint 1.2- Offer Alternatives For Auditory Information.  Edgenuity allows students to navigate lessons with text, videos, images, and different ways to take notes. All images have alt text features to promote accessibility, and teachers can print resources for students who may need hard copies.

Example: Edgenuity can be used to differentiate parts of lessons for scholars, and to help scholars remaster prerequisite standards while the rest of the class moves on. Students must pass a quiz to move on to new standards, and teachers can make sure that scholars go back to the lesson if they fail checkpoint quizzes.

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K-12 Online Curriculum, Virtual Schools, School & School District Support | Edgenuity Inc.

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Edgenuity is a leading provider of K-12 online and blended learning solutions including online courses, credit recovery, intervention, test preparation, and more.

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CAST Science Writer

Description: CAST Science Writer is a Free online tool to support students in writing lab and class reports. It provides online "mentors" to give instructions, tips, and guidance along the way, Writing process checklists, Text to speech functions, and sentence stems.

UDL Checkpoints: The CAST Science Writer supports UDL Checkpoint 5.2- Use multiple tools for construction and composition and UDL Checkpoint 6.2- Support Planning and Strategy Development. CAST Science Writer has tools for kids to draft and revise their writing, with Writing Process tools and Text to Speech feedback to figure out if their writing makes sense and addresses all the components of the prompt. This tool also has checklists and mentors to guide kids along the way to create and update their plans to guide their writing process.

Example: CAST Science Writer can be used to minimize barriers for lab reports, especially for high school and college level science classes for kids with Written Expression disabilities. Teachers can ensure that kids have the tools and scaffolds needed to create the same high level outputs as their non disabled peers.

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Science Writer is a free web-based instructional tool that supports students through the process of writing a science report with organizational supports, explicit strategy instruction and scaffolds.

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Hanging organizer

Description: This low tech option can provide behavior support for scholars by placing visuals and words of expectations, and allow students to get tokens of some sort to reinforce when they met expectations.

UDL Checkpoints: This tool reinforces several checkpoints, such as UDL Checkpoint 6.1- Guide appropriate Goal Setting, and UDL Checkpoint 7.2- Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity. Using a Hanging organizer to provide a visual reinforcement of expectations and behavior goals allows kids to set a goal of how many tokens they earn, and what expectation they will focus on. The visual and public display, when used with fidelity, will also allow kids to see the value in doing the right thing, and they can get authentic, in the moment feedback when they meet expectations, or when they aren't meeting expectations and lose tokens.

Example: A teacher promoting social skills or appropriate reactions and participation for a kid can hang the organizer in the line of sight of the scholars who are struggling. The teacher can place the expectations in the top row, an image below that, and then label the rest of the organizers for the students and allow them to see in real time when they are doing the right things.

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Index Cards on a Binder Ring

Description: Index Cards can be labelled with possible participation points or by letter grade and color coded to match. Teachers can use these to have kids self asses their participation in class, or to provide real time feedback.

UDL Checkpoints and example:  This tool will help address UDL Checkpoint 9.3- Develop self assessment and reflection. If kids assign themselves a grade, and the teacher changes the visual representation of that grade, a prompt can be directed to students to think about what can change to get back up to a higher grade. For students who struggle with low self esteem, they can get positive reinforcement and reflect the they are on the right track and that they are doing a good job.

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Magnetic Emoji Symbols

Description: These magnets show a variety of facial expressions that represent feelings.

UDL Checkpoints:  These magnets can be used to promote UDL Checkpoint 5.1-  Use multiple media for communication and UDL Checkpoint 9.2- Facilitate personal coping skills and strategies. These checkpoints are addressed as kids have an additional tool to communicate where they are emotionally, and for kids to have an opportunity to express their feelings and receive assistance in what to do when coping with that emotion.

Example: A teacher can use these throughout a class period for kids to express how they are feeling while persisting on a difficult task. As kids move towards more negative emotions, the teacher can reference previously taught strategies or teach a new coping strategy to help a scholar get through the feeling in a healthy way. Kids can learn how to push through negative emotions that prevent them from learning.